Monday, February 18, 2013

9:46 AM

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan called the president’s plan for immigration reform counterproductive and said it makes efforts by a bipartisan group in Congress much more difficult.

A report over the weekend said the White House is preparing an immigration plan in case lawmakers fail to devise one of their own. Among other things, it would allow undocumented immigrants to become legal residents within eight years.

Ryan, R-Janesville, had earlier praised the president on the issue. But appearing on yesterday’s “This Week” on ABC, the leaking of the president’s plan takes things in the wrong direction.

“Look, the question that we always have to ask ourselves, particularly with this White House, is the president looking for a partisan advantage or is he looking for a bipartisan law?” Ryan said, adding the leak makes it look like the president is aiming for the former.

Ryan was also asked again about running for president in 2016. While he said he hasn’t made up his mind, he dismissed a report that suggested he was less likely to run.

“I literally do not know the answer to these questions about what is the best role for me to play to fix these problems for our country in the future,” Ryan said. “The point is I don't know the answer because I'm just not putting a great deal of thought into it. I'm not foreclosing any opportunity. I may or I may not.”